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Permitting Authorities / Colorado / City of Durango - Building Division

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Durango, CO?

Adopted code

City of Durango - Building Division

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Durango, CO, issued by City of Durango - Building Division. A roofing project of less than 25% of total roof replacement does not require a building permit and inspections; larger roof replacements do. Roofing work in the East Third Avenue Historic District requires an Alterations Certificate even under that threshold. Construction performed without proper permits is charged triple the building permit fee. New roofing permit pricing took effect April 1, 2026.

Roof code checklist: Durango, CO

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofYesdurangoco.gov2026-07-14
Repair permit thresholdNot published
Layer limit / roof-overPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-07-31
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeYesR905.2.8.5library.municode.com2026-07-31
Ice & water shieldYeslibrary.municode.com2026-07-31
Mid-roof inspectionNot published
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNolibrary.municode.com2026-07-31
Wind design criteriaPublishedlibrary.municode.com2026-07-31
Adopted codePublisheddurangoco.gov2026-07-14
Contractor license / registrationYesdurangoco.gov2026-07-14
Sales & use taxPublisheddurangoco.gov2026-07-31

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
City of Durango, Colorado
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
Durango, CO
Contact
  • url: https://www.durangoco.gov/214/Building
  • phone: 970-375-5000
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • license: Contractors must have a valid City of Durango Business License. There is no separate city trade license for roofing; plumbers must additionally hold a state plumbing contractor's license along with the city business license.
Permit process note
A roofing project of less than 25% of total roof replacement does not require a building permit and inspections; larger roof replacements do. Roofing work in the East Third Avenue Historic District requires an Alterations Certificate even under that threshold. Construction performed without proper permits is charged triple the building permit fee. New roofing permit pricing took effect April 1, 2026.
Inspection requirements
All inspection requests must be made through the city's OpenGov portal. The Building Division inspects building and roofing projects, and as of July 1, 2026 also permits and inspects all plumbing and gas installations. Electrical inspections remain with the State of Colorado.
Adopted code
The City of Durango has adopted the 2024 International Codes (I-Codes) effective January 1, 2026, along with the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (effective January 1, 2026) and the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (effective April 1, 2026).
Drip edge
Required — Not separately amended by the City of Durango. The City adopts the 2024 IRC by reference (§ 6-140) and its § 6-144 amendment list does not delete or modify Section R905.2.8.5, so the base IRC drip-edge requirement stands as adopted code. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — Durango's amended IRC Table R301.2 (§ 6-144) lists "Ice barrier underlayment required: YES" in its own unambiguous single-column cell. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — No City of Durango amendment mandates Class 4 / UL 2218 impact-resistant roof coverings. The full § 6-144 amendment list to the 2024 IRC (R101, R103, R105, R113, R301.2, R302.13, R309, R318.7.5.1, Chapter 11, P2503, P2603, P3009, Part VIII Electrical, Appendix BE) was read start to finish and contains no such addition.
Wind design criteria
Durango's amended IRC Table R301.2 (City of Durango Code of Ordinances § 6-144, Ord. No. O-2025-0051) prints, as coded: Ground snow load 40-60; under the "Wind design" column group -- Speed (mph): 104 ult, Topographic effects: YES, Special wind region: NO, and the group's fourth (Weathering-labeled) column: NO; Seismic design category: B; under the "Subject to damage from" column group -- its first (Windborne debris-zone-labeled) column: SEVERE, Frost Line Depth: 32, Termite: NO. Quoted exactly as the printed table's own column groupings and cell values appear in the source, including the apparent label/value placement within the two multi-column groups.
Roof layer limit / recover
Not separately amended by the City of Durango. The City adopts the 2024 IRC by reference (§ 6-140, Ord. No. O-2025-0051) and its § 6-144 amendment list, read start to finish, does not touch Section R907 (Reroofing) or R908 (Roof Replacement), so the base 2024 IRC roof-recover/layer-limit provisions govern as adopted; the section text is behind the ICC paywall and not restated here. Base-code rule, read at 2024 IRC Section R908.4 (Roof recover), Exceptions and quoted here rather than left behind the ICC paywall: a roof recover "shall not be permitted" where "the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering" (nor where the existing covering is water soaked or deteriorated, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile). One existing layer may therefore be recovered; a second existing layer forces tear-off to the deck.
Sales & use tax
9.4% combined (state 2.9% + La Plata County 3% + City of Durango 3.5%). Home-rule, self-collected — the City's own page states "As a home rule municipality, the City of Durango collects its own sales tax per our Municipal Code." The City's 3.5% use tax applies at the same rate as sales tax, city-self-administered ("payable by the 'user' of the product when City of Durango sales tax has not been collected"). No permit-issuance use-tax-deposit mechanism (the pattern seen in Denver, Loveland, and several Front Range peers) was described on the City's own tax page.

Local roofing hub

Roofing in Durango, ColoradoCity hub

Roof permits nearby: La Plata County

Bayfield, CORoof permit Ignacio, CORoof permit La Plata County, CORoof permit Roofing in ColoradoState hub

Related guides

Denver-Metro Roofing Permits Filing a Hail Insurance Claim Colorado Hail Season Prep Hiring a Contractor Hail-Belt Rules by State

The building permit authority for the City of Durango, Colorado. The Building Division requires permits for all commercial and residential roofing replacements, handles permitting and inspections through the OpenGov online portal, requires contractors to hold a City of Durango Business License, and has adopted the 2024 International Codes effective January 1, 2026.

Hail reports near Durango, CO

Reports, last 24 months
1
Largest, last 24 months
1.00 in Sep 11, 2025
Most recent
Sep 11, 2025 1.00 in
Reports, last 5 years
2
2 most recent reports, last 5 years
DateHail sizeDistance
Sep 11, 20251.00 in5 mi ESE
Jun 20, 20241.25 in5 mi E

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of Durango, CO (Census point). Data through Oct 7, 2026, not updated since. A report is an observation, not a damage record.

Working an insurance claim in Durango, CO? Everything on this page (drip edge, ice & water shield, inspections, Class 4 rules) formatted as a claim-ready evidence pack: verbatim ordinance quotes, code section cites, verification dates, and official source links, ready to attach to a supplement. See a real sample pack (PDF, 4 pages, free).

Code items like drip edge and ice & water shield are what adjusters ask you to document.

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Sources

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Roofing questions: Durango, CO

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Durango, CO?

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Durango, CO.

Is ice & water shield required in Durango, CO?

Yes. Durango's amended IRC Table R301.2 (§ 6-144) lists "Ice barrier underlayment required: YES" in its own unambiguous single-column cell.

Is drip edge required in Durango, CO?

Yes. Not separately amended by the City of Durango. The City adopts the 2024 IRC by reference (§ 6-140) and its § 6-144 amendment list does not delete or modify Section R905.2.8.5, so the base IRC drip-edge requirement stands as adopted code.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Durango, CO?

Not separately amended by the City of Durango. The City adopts the 2024 IRC by reference (§ 6-140, Ord. No. O-2025-0051) and its § 6-144 amendment list, read start to finish, does not touch Section R907 (Reroofing) or R908 (Roof Replacement), so the base 2024 IRC roof-recover/layer-limit provisions govern as adopted; the section text is behind the ICC paywall and not restated here. Base-code rule, read at 2024 IRC Section R908.4 (Roof recover), Exceptions and quoted here rather than left behind the ICC paywall: a roof recover "shall not be permitted" where "the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering" (nor where the existing covering is water soaked or deteriorated, or is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile). One existing layer may therefore be recovered; a second existing layer forces tear-off to the deck.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Durango, CO?

Yes. Contractors must have a valid City of Durango Business License. There is no separate city trade license for roofing; plumbers must additionally hold a state plumbing contractor's license along with the city business license.

What building code does Durango, CO use?

The City of Durango has adopted the 2024 International Codes (I-Codes) effective January 1, 2026, along with the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code (effective January 1, 2026) and the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (effective April 1, 2026).